Ford reportedly will base Fusion sedan production in China
Mini unveils new, stripped down logo
The premium-fuel secret: You almost never need it
More than a half-million Hyundai, Kia compacts recalled for brake light problem
Tiny carwash used for somehow-serious purpose of testing Nissan paint
Ferrari set to hit new sales goal early to boost profits

LandWind X7 Vs. Land Rover Evoque

LandWind X7 and Land Rover Evoque

The car you see to the left in the image above is the LandWind X7. The car on the right is the Land Rover Evoque. Notice any similarities?

Land Rover noticed, too, and complained to Chinese authorities that one of its popular models is being blatantly copied by another automaker in China. Sadly, Land Rover's claim was dismissed and the LandWind X7 is set to go on sale in China next month.

One big difference between the two crossovers is their price. The LandWind X7 costs just one third of the MSRP of the Land Rover Range Rover Evoque. Naturally, the quality of the two vehicles is surely different, as will the performance and, potentially, the safety ratings.

Take a look through our gallery to see a few different views of the Land Rover Evoque and its doppelgänger from LandWind.

slide-3557255

Image Credit: LandWind / Land Rover

LandWind X7 and Land Rover Evoque: Front

From the front, it's easy to see that the LandWind X7 mimics the dimensions of the Land Rover Evoque faithfully. Looking past the color, which is again copied over, note the placement of the grille, lighting elements and the lettering of the brand names on the hood.

Ralf Speth, head of Land Rover, is not impressed. "China, from my point of view has enough creativity and engineering power to do something on their own and doesn’t have to fall back to the time when copying was of interest," he said to the British journalists at Autocar.

slide-3557256

Image Credit: LandWind / Land Rover

LandWind X7 and Land Rover Evoque: Interior

Even inside, the LandWind borrows heavily from Land Rover's Evoque. The steering wheel, overall shape of the dash and the arrangement of buttons to control the center-mounted LCD screen all look very similar.

Amazingly, there is no legal recourse Land Rover can take to get the LandWind X7 taken off the market. "We can’t do anything. I hope the Chinese customer at the end of the day sees the difference and selects the real product and not a copied one. We hope they generate a self-regulation process so that they can get rid of this kind of copy-paste way of working," said Speth.

slide-3557268

Image Credit: LandWind / Land Rover

LandWind X7 and Land Rover Evoque: Rear

From the rear, the uncanny resemblance continues between the real Land Rover Evoque and the LandWind X7 copycat. Check out the metal-look highlights that surround the squared-off tailpipes, the location of the marker lights and the squished look of the rear glass. From this view, it's not a complete copy, as the LandWind has a dark panel that stretches between the taillights, but there can be little doubt that one was made to look like the other.

slide-3557204

Image Credit: LandWind

LandWind X7: Top

From the top, you might be hard-pressed to say if you're looking at the Land Rover or its copy from LandWind. This is the LandWind X7, in case you weren't sure. There's a large, panoramic roof, as is the case on the Land Rover Evoque, and all the cut lines and shapes of the bodywork match up between the two crossovers in this view.

slide-3557253

Image Credit: Land Rover

Land Rover Evoque: Top

Here's the Land Rover Evoque, viewed from an upper three-quarter view from the rear. You can see the panoramic roof, a small spoiler on the roof and the relatively small amount of glass, when compared to the amount of metal surfacing, that makes the Evoque unique in its segment. Well, unique if you don't count its blatant copy from China, the LandWind X7...